Ski Trip Scare
by bballgirl22
Summary: Stella, Melissa, Jody, and Emily go on a vacation. They meet the Jonas Brothers, but this amazing vacation turns into something more... surprisingly at 2:00 in the morning. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**Ski Trip Scare**

"We're almost there!" 19-year-old Melissa Norris said, looking up from her fashion designer game. She wasn't as creative as her friend, Stella, but tried for Stella's sake. Melissa had straight blond hair and ocean blue eyes, which complemented her lightly tanned skin. She was really into fashion and a bit of a girly-girl. She was brave and tough when she had to be. Melissa was the wise one of the group. She always stopped and worked things out, unlike her 18-year-old sister. Jody Norris looked up from he portable TV and said

"I can't wait to hit the slopes," Jody was watching a college basketball game between her favorite team, the North Carolina Tar heels, and the Duke Blue Devils. She had light brown hair and striking green eyes. She was the exact opposite of her sister. While Melissa was more girly and up on the latest trends, Jody was tomboy. She knew everything there was to know about baseball, hockey, football, and especially basketball. She loved watching the Olympics, especially the winter ones. Her favorite winter Olympic game was speed-skating. Her favorite Olympic athlete was Apolo Anton Ohno. Jody was amazing at basketball. She always wanted to act before she thought, so it was a good thing she had Melissa to stop her. Jody looked at her best friend from across the limo. Emily Brooks was a 20-year old tomboy like Jody. She had dirty blond hair and captivating hazel eyes. She was quite strong for a girl. She paused her Ipod.

"Me too," Emily said, referring to what Jody had said about the slopes. Melissa's 19 ½- year-old best friend, Stella Jones, was sitting next to Emily. She had perfect, wavy blond hair, chocolate brown eyes that could melt your heart, and a perfect, slightly tan complexion. She was a little girly, but was brave and tough if need be, like Melissa. She looked up from her laptop and said loudly

"There are going to be a plethora of cute, handsome ski instructors and guides at the lodge, and all you guys can thin about is skiing! I can't believe you!" From the spa in the back of the limo, Mrs. Norris called

"Now girls, I know you're excited. You can do whatever you want when we get to the lodge, but until then, keep it down so we can relax back here." 'We' meant Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Brooks, and herself. Their husbands had decided to stay home. They were going skiing in Colorado. They were staying at Mountain Lodge. It was in the middle of the forest at the bottom of the mountain. It was pretty much secluded.

"OK, sorry Mom," Jody called back. "Well," she continued. "I also can't wait to explore the old mine shafts we read about the Internet. They used to mine for silver, gold, and gems up there."

"Cool. That should be interesting," Emily agreed.

"OMG! OMG! OMG!" Stella shouted. "The Jonas Brothers are going to be there for a month, just like us, staying at the same hotel!"

"No way!" Emily yelled.

"For real?!" Melissa squealed.

"OMG!" Jody screamed.

"Girls, calm down. It's just the Jonas Brothers," Mrs. Jones called. Stella gasped in horror.

"_Just_ the Jonas Brothers, _just _the Jonas Brothers! They are the hottest band ever. They have four albums, twenty top ten hits, three sold out tours, another tour this summer, a TV show called JONAS, and not to mention how cute they are. Never say _just _the Jonas Brothers, Mom!" Stella yelled.

"Sorry, dear," Mrs. Jones called.

"You guys should probably get changed. We're going to be there in about five minutes," Melissa said.

"Thanks, Mel," Mrs. Norris said. The girls heard water splashing as their mothers got out of the hot tub.

"Some heiress named Lori Shara is going to be staying at the lodge for a month too," Stella said. She began reading from her laptop. "It says here that she is bringing a very expensive necklace. It has one hundred pearls, ninety sapphires, eighty rubies, seventy emeralds, sixty topazes, fifty amethysts, forty chocolate colored pearls, thirty turquoises, twenty canary diamonds, and ten diamonds. It is set in pure gold with a pure silver clasp. It is worth over fifty million dollars and is worth about two hundred million dollars in insurance money. It is going to be on display in the lobby at all times except when she is wearing it." Stella took a deep breath.

"That's a lot," Mrs. Brooks called from the spa.

"We know," Emily called to her mom. "I wonder what her personality is like. How old is she, Stella?" Emily asked.

"It says she is twenty-six," Stella answered.

"I hate to interrupt, but could we continue this at the lodge?" Jody asked.

"Why?" Melissa asked, confused.

"We're here," Jody answered. Melissa looked out the window and saw the 5-star, 30 floor lodge looming ahead of them.

"Oh," Melissa answered.

I am working on a sequel called "Horror In Hawaii". It is about a kidnapping of one of our. I will probably do one story mostly about each main character. The last one was about Joe. Then I will probably continue with an equal amount from all of the characters. This series will continue when I get chance to publish it. Please read and review my new story when I publish it and thanks for reading.

P.S. I am in the midst of writing a Camp Rock story, which I don't have a title for yet, so put me on author alert please, and a Law and Order: SVU, which also has no title, so again, add me to your author alerts. Thank you so much again to my loyal readers and I hope you review my future stories. Thanks.

bballgirl22


	2. Chapter 2

They all headed inside. While their moms checked in, the girls led the bellhop out to the limo. When he saw how many bags there were, his jaw dropped.

"I'm going to need some more bellhops out here stat," he said into a walkie-talkie. As he went inside to wait for help, the girls tried to figure out which bags belonged to who.

"Alright, I have thirty bags, so-" Stella began. She was cut off by her shocked friends.

"Thirty bags!?" they cried together.

"Well, yeah. I'm glad I did now that I know about the Jonas Brothers staying here. Anyway, I have thirty bags, Melissa and Jody have ten each, Emily has eleven, and each of our mothers somehow only have five. So that makes… seventy-six bags! Wow! That is a lot."

They had finally found enough bellhops and were on their way to their suite. When the door had closed behind the bellhops, Stella shouted

"I get the walk-in closet!" _It'll also be a good place for me and the boyfriend I get on this vacation to be together in private._ She thought. One of Stella's suitcases contained her designing tools. Her dream was to be a fashion designer. In the suite, there were four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room with a sofa and everything, a dining room, and a little area inside the door. Each room had a DVD player, TV, stereo and sound system, three beds, a walk-in closet, and a regular closet. Mrs. Norris, Mrs. Jones, and Mrs. Brooks agreed to share a room. Stella and Melissa would also share a room, and so would Jody and Emily. They all decided not to put anything in the fourth room, just in case. While they were unpacking, Emily browsed the lodge's website on Stella's laptop for information on Lori Shara.

"Hey guys," she said. "Lori is going to be arriving at three 'o' clock. All guests are invited to watch her arrival and watch her put the necklace in the display case. It also says she has a silver sports car so shiny, you could see your reflection in it."

"When are the Jonas Brothers arriving, Em?" Stella asked as she slid another empty suitcase under her bed.

"10:00 A.M. today. It says only guests with an invitation hidden somewhere in their room are allowed to go and watch them arrive, probably for security because they are so popular. It also says anyone who isn't staying at the lodge can't come and visit them without an invitation," Emily answered.

"Well, it's only 8:00. We have two hours before they arrived and seven hours before the heiress arrives. What should we do?" Jody asked.

"I thin we should help Stella unpack because she only unpacked five suitcases," Melissa suggested.

"OK, good idea Melissa," Jody agreed. "Stella, where do we start?"

Nearly two hours later, Melissa said "That's the last of it, Stel." She was just hanging up Stella's strapless, sparkly, gold dress. She always borrowed this dress from her friend. "It's ten to ten. We should start searching for an invitation," she continued. They all split up and began searching.

"Hey mom, I'm going to search your room, okay? Thanks," Jody said as she began looking under the beds.

"Jody, why are you searching our room?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"If we find an invitation, we get to watch the Jonas Brothers arrive," Jody answered as she headed out of the room.

Back in the living room, Jody met Melissa and Emily.

"Stella is looking in the bathroom," Emily said.

"Guys, I found it!" Stella screamed as she raced towards them with a light blue paper in her hand. Melissa gently pried it out of her hyperventilating friend's hand and began reading.

"It says everyone in suite 2400 can go down and watch them arrive and stuff like that. It also says not to lose it because it could come in handy in the near future."

"Awesome! Let's go!" Jody said.

"Mom, we're going to the lobby!" Stella called to her mom.

"Ok, have fun," Mrs. Jones called as the door slammed shut.

In the lobby, there were only about enough o carry all of Stella's suitcases if they each took one. They were holding a similar invitation to the one Stella was holding. While they were walking, a tall, blond, blue-eyed guy of about twenty-six came in and asked the clerk where the ski instructors checked in for work.

"Check out tall, blond, and dreamy," Stella said as Melissa stared at him dreamily. All of a sudden, there was an eruption of screams as a long black limo pulled up. It was similar to the one the girls had arrived in, but it was longer. The chauffer opened the door and the screams became deafening. First a body guard walked in, and then Joe, Kevin, and Nick Jonas followed, taking off their hats and sunglasses. Joe caught Stella's eye as he walked by and she felt her heart melt in his chocolate brown ones, just like hers.

"OMG! It's really them!" Melissa screamed, while Jody and Emily screamed the boys' names. Stella continued to stare after Joe. Up at the front desk, the clerk asked for silence. Then he spoke into a microphone, saying

"I will now reveal the winners of our contest. The Jonas Brothers will be staying in the connecting room to suite 2400!" Joe grabbed the microphone and yelled

"Will the winners come up here? We have something to give them." Stella, Melissa, Emily, and Jody had been too shocked to say anything and couldn't believe they had won. When they heard Joe ask them to come forward, They started screaming and ran to the front desk, finally believing their luck. When Joe saw Stella he couldn't help but look at her eyes. Nick gave them a note and told them not to read it until they got back to their room. With that, the boys walked toward the elevator and disappeared.

"Joe what's wrong with you?" Kevin asked in the elevator, confusion in his green eyes.

"Yeah, you didn't even point out one cute girl." Nick continued. His blue eyes also showed confusion.

"Oh, I saw one girl." Joe said. _ I can't wait to meet her._ Joe was thinking about Stella.

The girls ran up the stairs to their room and jumped onto Stella's bed. When they had finally settled down, Melissa said "OK, this is what it says:

Hi. We have something for you and we were wondering if you had an extra room in your suite. Can we stay with you? This way, we will get to know you and get a little peace and quiet. Knock on the connecting door three times at two 'o' clock and we will come over and talk. Thanks.

Love, Kevin, Joe, and Nick."

"Can you believe this?" Jody asked.

"Mom, can the Jonas Brothers stay in our extra room?" Melissa called.

"Sure honey," Mrs. Norris called back.

"OK, guys. I know we are super totally excited, but let's try to be calm. I'm sure we will get used to it after a few days. OK?" Emily asked.

"As soon their number is in my phone and mine is in theirs', I'll be fine." Stella answered.

"Me too." Melissa and Jody agreed.

"It's only 1:30" Melissa pointed out. "What are we going to do for half an hour?"

"Oh, don't worry. We'll think of something." Stella said mischievously.

"Stella, I know that look." Melissa said. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, I was thinking that since they are going to be here anyway, you guys could help me design some clothes and I could show them my designs. Maybe I could become their stylist," Stella answered. "We could design an outfit Nick, an outfit for Kevin, and an outfit for Joe," Her dreamy sigh when she said Joe's name didn't go unnoticed by her friends, but they let it go. "Come on guys, this is my dream. Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top?" Stella asked sa she batted her eyelashes and gave them a puppy-dog look.

Five minutes later, Stella had out of all of her designing tools and her easel. She gently laid her sketch pad on it. Everyone began thinking of designs and Stella began drawing.

Joe couldn't wait for two 'o' clock to come. Nick and Kevin noticed that he kept looking from the clock to the connecting door anxiously. At ten to two, Nick had had enough and flicked Joe on his head.

"What? Oh, hi Nick," Joe said as he came to his senses.

"Joe stop daydreaming and listen for three knocks," Kevin said while Nick glared at him. Joe had never acted like this. Something was up.

Twenty minutes later, Stella dropped her charcoal pencil and let out a contented sigh. "Done," she said.

"So, let us see," Emily coaxed her.

"OK," Stella said. "For Joe, I designed a black tank top style shirt with the 'Burnin' Up' logo on it, a sleeveless black vest to go over the shirt, a gold suit-type jacket, dark, dark, dark purple pants to complement the gold jacket, black converse shoes, and, to top it all off, a pair of his favorite sunglasses, Stella-styled. For Kevin, I designed a white long sleeve shirt, a tan vest, black skinny jeans, brown cowboy boots, and a Stella-grammed custom-made bandana. And finally, for Nick, I designed a black short sleeve shirt, a white jacket with a tiny rose pin to show his sensitivity, dark navy pants, black and white shoes, and trendy silver belt to pull it all together. So, you like?" "We like." Emily, Jody, and Melissa chorused together. "Just in time, too." Jody said. "It is time to knock on their door. Ready?" "Ready." they said. Together they walked over to the connecting door and, together, knocked on it three times. 2 minutes later, they heard three knocks on the other side of the door.

Joe jumped up when he heard the knocks and hurried to the door as Nick opened it.

"Hi," the brothers said together.

"Heh, heh, hi," the girls said shyly.

"Sorry, it's going to take us a few hours to get used this, then we'll be fine," Jody apologized.

"That's cool with us," Nick said.

"So, don't you guys have a little brother," Melissa asked.

"Oh, you mean Frankie?" Kevin asked .

"Yeah, but he's staying in the other room. He gets really annoying sometimes and never leaves us _alone,_" Joe continued. No one except Stella noticed that he looked at her when he emphasized the word 'alone'. "This is our friend, Jason Malone. He lives in Colorado, so he'll be staying with us in the other room until we leave," Nick said as a boy with aqua-colored eyes and blond hair walked in.

"Girls, dinner is almost…" Mrs. Brooks stopped short as she walked in and saw Joe, Kevin, and Nick.

"Ah, you must be the boys who are staying with us. Hey, come in here guys," she called to Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Jones.

"Yeah, we're the Jonas Brothers. This is Joe and Kevin, and I'm Nick. Nice to meet you and thanks for letting us stay with you," Nick said.

"Uh, Mrs. Brooks is Emily's mom, Mrs. Norris is Melissa and Jody's mom, and Mrs. Jones is my mom," Stella explained.

"Well, nice to meet you boys. Enjoy yourselves," Mrs. Norris as she followed the others back to the kitchen.

"Sorry, but could we have your phone number, a picture, and an autograph? Then, I think we should start to calm down," Stella asked.

"Sure," Kevin said.

"So your note said something about an object and that you wanted to talk," Jody said.

"Oh, right. These are for you," Joe said as they each took something out of their pockets. "Here Stella," Joe said as he gave her a silver ring with the Jonas crest and the boys' autographs on it.

"Wow," Stella breathed. "Thanks Joe."

"This is for you, Emily," Nick said as he gave her a heart-shaped necklace with the Jonas crest and the boys' autographs on it. Emily gasped and said

"Wow, thanks."

"These are for you two," Kevin said as he gave Melissa Jody each a bracelet with the Jonas crest and the boys' autographs on it.

"Thank you," Melissa and Jody said.

"I heard you guys were looking for a new stylist, so I spent the last hour designing some samples of my work for you guys. Would you mind taking a look?" Stella said shyly after a minute. She didn't really like to show people her designs in fear they would laugh at them, let alone show the Jonas Brothers. She handed her sketch pad to Joe. They each looked at the outfit Stella had designed for them.

"I love the gold jacket and sunglasses." Joe said.

"The belt really ties my outfit together." Nick said.

"The cowboy boots are so me." Kevin said.

"These are great, Stella." Joe said.

"How would you like to be our new stylist?" they said together.

"Yes! Yes! A million times yes!" Stella cried. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

After a few minutes of Stella celebrating, Nick asked "So, what do you guys like to do."

"Well, our hobby is solving mysteries. The police in our home town think we are great, but I don't think we're _that_ good," Emily said.

"I remember this one case where we caught a dangerous gang of party thieves called 'The Red Scarlet Group'. We would get invitations to big parties in and around our town back home and investigate. At one of the parties, Emily and Jody were guarding the expensive gifts." Melissa said.

"Yeah, and all of sudden the lights went out, we heard some people come into the room, and we heard the door lock shut." Jody said.

"I guess those members of the gang knew they were in the room. There were two men and two women. The men grabbed Emily and Jody and gagged them. The women whispered a dire threat in their ears, then the men bound and blindfolded them and threw them into a closet. After the robbery we had to bust down the door and we found them really freaked out by threats. They wanted us to give up the case." Stella said.

"A few days later, Stella and I told them we were going to this old abandoned hotel in the country to try and capture the gang. We were watching through a window when some men threw masks over our heads and hustled us inside. The leader knew who we were and told them to keep us quiet until after this realtor came to inspect the place. So, they blindfolded, bound, and gagged us and took us to the basement. After the realtor left, they put us into a truck, but before they did, I managed to leave a clue that we were there. They put in a store room in a department store they were going to rob that night." Melissa continued.

"When someone told us Stella and Melissa were in danger, Jody and I became our old selves again, and us, some friends, and the police went out to the old hotel. Jody found the clue Melissa had left and I deducted that we were somewhere in town." Emily said.

"Melissa and Stella managed to free themselves and trick the guard. Then they captured the rest of the gang in the store and called the police. The case was solved." Jody finished.

"That is awesome. Before we became famous, we used to solve mysteries, too. We are still really into them. I never got to do any dangerous because my nickname is Danger," Joe said.

"You did so," Nick said.

"Yeah, remember when you got captured by that jewel thief, then you managed to escape and capture him?" Kevin said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," Joe said.

"Sorry to break this up, but Lori is going to be here in five minutes. We should head down to the lobby," Jody said.

"Who is Lori?" Nick asked.

"The heiress we read about who is staying here for a month as well. Here, look," Emily said.

"Wow, that is a lot of money," Kevin said.

"The necklace? Yeah, it's going to be on display in the lobby," Melissa answered.

"Well? Let's get down there!" Joe said.

In the lobby, it looked as if half the lodge were there. A silver sports car pulled up outside.

"That's her," Stella said. All of a sudden, they heard a squeaky voice yell

"Well, are you going to open my door any time soon? I am not paying for your slow service. Let's go driver!"

"Wow. This is awkward," Kevin said.

"Hey, awkward arrival," Joe laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Maybe we should go," Nick suggested.

"No, wait. Let's see the necklace first," Emily said.

"Alright, fine," Nick consented.

"Whoa!" Joe, Stella, Melissa, Jody, and Kevin said. Nick and Emily looked where they were looking and their jaws dropped. Lori Shara had on a floor length, faux fur coat, a faux fur hat, earrings the size of a golf ball, bright purple lipstick, and seven-inch stiletto heels. One of the ski instructors walked over, kissed her, and said

"Hello, darling."

"Melissa, Stella, isn't that the guy you went gaga over before?" Jody asked.

"Yeah," Melissa answered.

"No, there was no guy," Stella said hurriedly. She didn't want Joe to hear them. Her friends looked at her, confused, then Emily said

"It looks like he's the heiress's fiancée`."

"Look, she's putting the necklace in the case," Kevin said. Stella's detective eye caught something suspicious.

"Look at the way her fiancée' is looking at it," she said. Her friends agreed as Joe said

"That looks really heavy. It must do some work on your neck."

"Let's head back up the suite. We have a story to tell you," Nick said, noticing that the crowd was starting to disperse. As they walked toward the elevator, Stella made a point to walk as close to Joe as possible.

"So, what's this story?" Jody asked once they were settled in the suite.

"OK, so it was the day before our mom's birthday." Kevin began.

"In the attic, her and our dad found these old home movies she thought we lost. They were irreplaceable. We watched a few and our friend, Macy came over and watched, too. We've known her since we were little, so she was in them too."

"We didn't have a gift for mom yet." Nick continued. "So we got a women's magazine and looked at the top five birthday presents for a mom. Number 5 was a dog clock that barked each hour. We got her that two years ago. Number 4 was a candle. We got her a candle collection last year. Number 3 was a dinner with _Joe_. Number 2 was a vacation with the family. Number1 was a vacation without the family. We decided to put the home movies she loved so much on DVDs and they would also never get ruined. The next day, Kevin showed Joe a do-it-yourself birthday cake he got for mom and Joe said they should make the cake for her. Kevin said they didn't know how to make a cake and I came in and showed them my baking awards and said 'Let's bake a cake'. Joe put the movies on the floor and we started to bake. Joe got a bowl and Kevin poured the batter. Then Joe said 'It's some kind of mysterious bottomless bowl'. Then I said 'It's a colander. Then Joe asked 'What's a colander'. Then I said 'Something only you would call a mysterious bottomless bowl'. Then we realized the batter had gotten all over the home movies and mom was really upset."

"So we decided to reenact the home movies and play them at her party that night. Before we showed her, we said we were really sorry. Then Kevin said 'We know we can never replace the movies Joe destroyed.' Then I said 'Me! You poured the batter!' Then Kevin said 'You got the bowl with the holes in it.' Then I said 'It's a colineder.' Then Kevin said 'It's a calander.' Then Nick said irritatedly 'It's a colander'. Then at the party mom and Macy were watching the movies and we said we had a special feature. It was a really embarrassing tape of Macy. She thought her mom erased it, but I said 'Maybe somebody made a copy'. Then she was like 'Oh no, you didn't.' Then she chased me and I slid down the fire pole and she said 'I'm wearing heels' and slid down and landed on me and I was like 'Ow!' It was really funny." Joe finished.

"Wow that must have been fun." Melissa said.

"It's getting late. Are you guys hungry?" Mrs. Jones called from the kitchen.

"No mom. We were snacking. I think we're just going to go to bed. I'm a little limo-lagged," Stella called back.

"Ok, good night!" Their mothers called. As they stood up and stretched, Stella said flirtily

"Maybe tomorrow you can tell us about some of your concerts, Joe?"

"Sure, anything," Joe said dreamily. S Joe and Stella went to their rooms, the girls pulled Nick and Kevin aside.

"Look at how cute they are together. I wonder if they like each other," Emily said. Nick and Kevin finally pinpointed why Joe had been acting so odd. They hadn't seen him this happy for a long time.

"You're right," Nick agreed. "Good night." He dragged Kevin to their room and shut the door. The girls shrugged and went into their rooms as well. Soon, the suite was in complete darkness and all was quiet as the mothers went to bed as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone was sleeping soundly. It was the good thing their mothers had taken the sound proof room, so they didn't get woken up when a shrill alarm rang through the hotel at 2:00 in the morning. Kevin, Joe, and Nick staggered sleepily out of their room and almost collided with Emily, Jody, Melissa, and Stella.

"Sorry," Kevin said groggily.

"It's okay," Kevin answered.

"What is that noise?" Joe said. He was a little annoyed.

"Yeah, it's only 2:00 A.M.," Stella agreed.

"I think it's the burglary alarm," Melissa pointed out.

"Maybe we should go down and check it out," Nick suggested.

"Good idea. Let's go," Emily agreed as she slipped her feet into a pair of flip-flops.

In the lobby, they saw all the ski instructors and employees just arriving.

"Guys, Lori's fiancée` isn't here," Stella pointed out.

"We'll worry about that later," Jody said.

"Someone call the police!" a voice shouted.

"I wonder what happened," Jody continued. Just then, Lori Shara's shrill scream rang through the lobby.

"!!!!" she cried. "My necklace! My million dollar necklace! My precious antique necklace! My heirloom necklace!" she sobbed.

"Uh, I think the heiress's precious, million dollar, antique, heirloom necklace was stolen," Joe stated matter-of-factly.

"No kidding, genius," Nick said.

"Well, it's true," Joe retorted.

"Guys, guys, please. It's too early to fight," Stella pleaded. She looked ready to fall asleep.

"Sorry, Stella," they both said sheepishly.

"Let's get over there and find out what happened," Melissa said determinedly.

They headed over to the heiress, who was almost in hysterics. She was sobbing about her necklace while some of the employees tried to calm her down. Kevin told the employee watching the case until the police arrived that they were detectives. He asked if they could look around.

"I suppose so," the employee responded. Joe, Nick, and Kevin took fingerprints while the girls looked for clues. Emily found a buckle and two sheets of paper. When she held them up to the light, she could see writing. She decided to look more thoroughly later. Jody found some snow and some strands of hair. They decided that was all they would probably find.

"Let's go find the night manager," Nick said. They began searching and finally found him. He was behind the desk, blindfolded, bound, and gagged. Joe quickly took off his gag and blindfold and began untying him.

"What happened?" Joe asked as he moved to the rope around the clerk's ankles.

"Well, I saw someone dressed in black come in the front door and head for the necklace case. I was about to call the police when I was attacked from behind and wrestled to the ground. A gruff voice told me not to make a peep. I saw three people in ski masks before he tied a blindfold over my eyes. I was bound and gagged and hidden behind the desk, I think. Then the alarm went off and you guys found me," he explained.

"How many people do you think were involved in the robbery?" Stella asked as she stifled a yawn. She hadn't fallen asleep until one 'o' clock and the alarm had rung at two.

"At least four, maybe more," the employee answered.

"Whoever they are, they tie good knots," Joe said. He was still working on the rope the clerk's ankles.

"Before you were attacked, did you hear anything?" Kevin asked.

"Got it!" Joe said, holding up the rope triumphantly.

"No. Like I said, I was reaching for the phone and I was attacked," the clerk answered.

"Thank you," Emily said as they walked away.

In the elevator, Stella collapsed of tiredness. Joe's fast reflexes caught her before she hit the ground.

"Thanks," Stella told him shyly. As tired as she was, she thought of a great idea. "Guys, I have an idea," she said as the elevator stopped on their floor.

"What?!" Joe asked. He, like the others, was curious.

"Do you remember the display in the dining room? The heiress's earrings are there. They are worth half a million. What if the thieves plan another robbery? How about I watch the dining room tonight?" Stella said as they entered their suite. She was starting to fall asleep.

"Good idea, but be careful Stel," Melissa warned.

"Well, we should all get some sleep, especially you Stella. It's three in the morning and we'll probably get woken up tonight," Kevin said. The others agreed. Joe quickly set Stella down on her bed and followed his brothers to their room.

The next day, they went snowboarding on the slopes. They had a great time until Kevin caused a domino effect and they tumbled down the mountain. At 1:30 that night, Stella took up her post in the dining room. Melissa had convinced her to take a short nap, so she wasn't too tired, but still, she was exhausted. The others were in the suite's living room, ready to leave quickly. As Stella stood there, she thought she saw a shadow. 'Get a hold of yourself, Jones. It was probably nothing.' Stella told herself. She knew she couldn't fall asleep, no matter how tired she was. Suddenly, she was wrestled to the ground. Before she was blindfolded, she saw six people in masks. After she was bound and gagged, she felt a sharp pain on her cheek. She felt again and realized she was being punched. She began struggling until she was hidden behind the podium. A woman whispered a threat in her ear and she heard retreating footsteps. The alarm went off at that second and she felt her cheek bruising from the punching. Stella kept thinking how tired she was, but she forced herself to stay awake.

About twenty minutes later, she heard her friends calling her name. She couldn't answer because of the gag and couldn't make any noise because she was so tired. All of a sudden, she felt strong hands on her shoulders. She thought one of thieves was coming back for her and she became frightened again. When Joe untied her and she felt herself being carried in his strong arms, she relaxed, laid her head on his shoulder, and fell asleep.

**Sorry it's a little on the short side. Chapter 5 is really long. It is more than six pages in my notebook. Please review the first four chapters and I will try to type it and upload it fast. Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I told you it was long. Enjoy.**

After Stella was safely in her bed, the others regrouped in the living room.

"I wonder what happened," Nick said curiously.

"She'll tell us when she wakes up tomorrow," Melissa said, wise as always.

"Someone should stay with her tonight, like not Melissa. She's a heavy sleeper," Emily suggested.

"I will. Melissa, you can stay in Jody and Emily's room tonight, right?" Joe volunteered.

"Sure, that works," Jody said.

"See you guys in the morning," Kevin said as they stood up and went to their respective rooms.

Joe quietly went into Stella's room and laid down on one of the beds. He quickly fell into a light sleep.

The next morning when Joe woke up, Stella was still sleeping. He got dressed quietly and walked out to see the others waiting for him expectantly.

"She's still asleep," Joe answered their unasked question.

"Well, it's 10:00. We were going to go down to the pool. Maybe work on our tans, swim a little, discuss plans," Melissa told him.

"How about we meet you down there when she wakes up? I won't let her sleep too late. We're probably going to spend the day down there, right? We could order breakfast and lunch by the pool," Joe proposed.

"Okay, when should we be expecting you?" Nick asked his older brother.

"I'd say… it's ten 'o' clock now, right? So then around 12:30. We'll meet you down there in time to order lunch," Joe answered.

"Alright, see you then Joe," Emily said perkily as she, Jody, and Melissa grabbed cover-ups and beach bags.

"Sure thing," Joe answered.

"See you," Jody and Kevin said. As the door closed behind his friends, Joe heard a noise coming from Stella's room. He worriedly went to her room and saw her stirring. He also saw the bruise on her cheek. He sat down on the bed and waited for her to wake up.

When Stella woke up, she found herself looking up into Joe's worry filled brown eyes.

"Stella, are you okay?" Joe asked as soon as he saw her eyes open.

"I'm fine," Stella said quietly as she sat up. "Just a little bruised."

"Well, you better get changed. We have to meet the others down by the pool," Joe said as he headed out of the room. When the door closed behind him, Stella realized it was only 10:30. They had 2 hours! She figured he must have something in mind, so she began looking for something to change into.

Five minutes later, Stella had changed into a bikini that showed off her perfect figure. Joe had changed into swim trunks and opened Stella's door. Stella did all she could not to gasp at his muscular, perfectly chiseled chest. Before she knew what was going on, he was pulling her into the closet. It was then that she noticed the guitar he had in his other hand.

"Close you eyes," Joe told her. Stella obeyed and let Joe lead her through the closet.

"Okay. Open them and sit down." When she opened her eyes, she saw that Joe had pulled two of the stools next to each other. She quickly sat down as Joe sat on the other stool. "I want to run something by you," he said as he began playing his guitar.

"Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart  
It's the end of the world in my mind  
Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call  
I've been looking for the answer  
Somewhere  
I couldn't see that it was right there  
But now I know what I didn't know

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has twice as many stars in the sky

It's not finished yet, but-"

"Joe, it's beautiful. Who is it about?" Stella asked him.

"You," Joe said quietly. Stella gasped as he knelt down, pulled out a ring, and asked "Stella Jones, will you marry me?"

"Of course, Joe. On two conditions," Stella said.

"Name them," he answered her.

"First, we don't tell anyone until after we solve the mystery, which means I can't have this yet," Stella said, slipping the ring off her finger.

"Deal," Joe agreed.

"And you give me my first kiss right now," Stella said shyly. Joe pulled her over onto his stool and gave her a gentle kiss. When they pulled back, Stella laid her head on his chest. It was then that she realized her cheek was on his bare chest. She blushed and moved to pull away, but Joe gently pulled her back. "So, where are we going to have our wedding?" she asked.

"It depends on what city we're in after we set the date," he answered. Stella's confusion must have been obvious because he continued "Did I forget to mention you guys are coming on tour with us? You can't tell you r friends until we tell them about us. Not even my brothers know. You moms already okayed it. They only know about the tour."

"We should get going before they send a search party for us," Stella said, moving to get up. She was foiled when Joe fell onto his back and pulled her down on top of him. Stella wasn't used to this kind behavior since she hadn't trusted anyone for five years.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked her as he held her close and put his hand on the small of her back. He began rubbing slow circles on her back as he waited for an answer.

"My old boyfriend. We broke up five years ago; we were dating for three years. I thought I loved him and he loved me, but… One night he tried to… tried to…" Stella took a deep breath and blinked her eyes to hold back her tears from the memory.

"Stella, it's okay. Please tell me. I want to help you," Joe told her.

"He tried to…" Stella gave him a look and he knew exactly what had happened.

"Oh, Stella. I'd never hurt you or do anything you don't want me to do. I love you," Joe said as he wiped away a tear that had escaped her eye.

"I love you too," Stella said as she kissed his cheek. Joe began caressing her cheek and she looked surprised.

"What?" he was confused.

"It's just that no one has ever been this gentle with me before. Especially him," Stella explained. His touch was so loving and gentle.

"Don't you know I'm not the tough guy my image says I am?" Joe asked her teasingly.

"Well, we have to change that image. I'm just not used to it," Stella answered him, smiling.

Changing the subject, Joe said "You know, you aren't very subtle when you stare at someone the whole time you can see them." Stella blushed but said

"Well, who notices one girl staring at them in a crowd?" It was Joe's turn to blush. Joe gently placed Stella on the floor next to him and stood up. Then he helped her up. He put on his T-shirt and they headed out into the hallway.

"Remember, they can't know about this yet," Stella warned Joe. He pouted a little, so she said "Don't worry. We can meet in my closet again later." She gave him a quick kiss and moved to the side just before they came into view of the pool.

As they walked out to the pool area, they saw Melissa tanning and Nick, Emily, Jody, and Kevin swimming. They walked over to two seats near the ones their friends were using. Stella motioned to Joe to be quiet as she grabbed a small cup and filled it with pool water. Then she walked quietly over to Melissa. Joe realized what she was going to do and began trying to contain his laughter. When Stella dumped the cup, Melissa screamed.

"Aaaggghhh! That's cold!"

"Not really, Mel," Stella said pointedly as she made her way to the pool steps.

"Oh, hey Stella," Melissa stuck her tongue out at Stella before continuing. "Hi, Joe. I guess I'll go in with you guys. Hey look who's here, you guys!" she yelled to the others. They all called out 'hi' to Stella and Joe and swam over to the steps. Joe was about to put his foot on the first ladder rung when Stella pushed him and he toppled into the water. Melissa and Stella began laughing and the others joined in as Joe surfaced with a shocked expression on his face. Melissa and Stella slowly got in, as Stella knew Joe was waiting to pull her under. She was right as her legs were pulled out from under her and she dunked down. She surfaced to hear Joe's laughter. When they had all clamed down, Jody asked

"Stella, are you okay? From last night, I mean?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, except for this bruise," Stella answered. "But isn't it time for lunch? That's what Joe said we were meeting you here for. Besides I want to see some light around here. Isn't it cool that it feels like summer in here, when it's snowing outside? We _are_ in Colorado."

"I put in the orders just before you guys got here. I ordered hot dogs, chips, and lemonade for all of us," Emily explained. "They'll call when our order is ready."

Hours later, they were sitting around the pool, eating a delicious dinner of shrimp and pasta, with chocolate mousse for dessert. Over dessert, Stella thought of a great idea.

"I think the thieves are only after Lori's riches. If we can get her to let Joe drive a shipment of gold from her company from town to the lodge, we might be able to lure them here and capture them. We could at least probably get some clues," she suggested.

"Great idea, Stel. We'll ask her tomorrow morning, or maybe I can call her from the suite tonight if we have time," Jody said. Stella gave Joe a pointed look when Jody said suite and tonight. She was reminding him that her promise was still on. They finished their meal and headed toward the elevator. Once they got to the suite, they immediately changed into pajamas. Emily was wearing a cute pair with flowers. Melissa was wearing pink silk pajamas; they are her favorite. Joe, Kevin, and Nick had on different color pajama pants and a T-shirt. Jody had on basketball pajamas. They matched her sporty personality. Stella had on polka pajama pants and a shirt that said 'Fantabulicious' on it.

"Guys, let's call Lori and get it over with, then, I have a great idea," Jody said as she put the phone on speaker and dialed.

"Hello?" They heard Lori's voice over the line.

"Hi, we're detectives staying on the penthouse floor, aquarium suite. We know how to capture the thieves and get your necklace and earrings back," Jody said. Then Stella told Lori her plan.

"Okay, that just might work. I'll call and set up a shipment due to leave at 6:00 P.M. tomorrow evening. Joe, you be careful, though. Those thieves are dangerous. Remember, there are two abandoned houses in the forest if you get into any trouble," Lori agreed with the plan. Stella mouthed 'yes' and pumped her fist. Joe smiled at her antics. He thought she was amazing.

"Thank you so much, Miss Shara, and congratulations on your engagement," Melissa said.

"Oh, why thank you. Please, call me Lori," she insisted.

"Okay, Thank you so much Lori," Joe said. Then, Jody hung up.

"So, Jody, what's your idea?" Nick asked. He was genuinely curious.

"Oh, right," Jody said, faking the fact that she forgot all about it. "Let's play charades!" she exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh, Jody! You know I love charades!" Stella said excitedly. Well, here was something else Joe now knew about Stella.

"Me too!" Melissa and Emily said together, equally excited. The brothers shrugged and said

"We're in!"

"Yes!" Jody clapped her hands together and began writing down names to draw for teams. It ended up with Team Awesome, as they called themselves, having Jody, Emily, and Kevin. Team Battlefield had Stella, Melissa, and Joe. Nick voted to be score keeper and judge.

Two hours later, it was time for the speed round. Nick read off the scores and rules before they started.

"Team Awesome had 36 points, while Team Battlefield has… 36 points, too! Okay, looks like the speed round is a tie-breaker. Each team will pick their best word actor outer. That person will get a list of ten words randomly selected by your mothers. There is an equal amount of easy and hard words on each. I will start this timer at two and a half minutes. Whoever gets more words correct in that period of time wins. No talking, only motions. There is no deduction for wrong guesses. If it is a tie, we'll figure that out later. Will the actors come get their list please?" Stella and Jody walked forward and got their lists from Nick. When they were positioned, he said "Go!" Stella and Jody started acting and wild guesses were being called out. Nick began counting down the last thirty seconds. At the last possible moment, Joe and Melissa both said

"The Ultimate Christmas Present!"

"Yes!" Stella said as the buzzer sounded. They had gotten all ten. They didn't know how many the other team had gotten and Nick took his time counting both teams' scores.

"Nick, come on!" Kevin said after a minute.

"Okay, okay. Team Battlefield got all ten, giving them a score of 46. Team Awesome got… 9 of them, giving them a score of 45. Team Battlefield wins!"

"Great game guys," Emily said.

"I think we should head to bed. It's almost eleven 'o' clock and we are going to have a big day tomorrow. Well, actually a big night," Melissa said as she yawned, stretched, and headed into her room. Nick, Kevin, Jody, and Emily soon followed. Before Stella entered her room, she whispered to Joe

"Meet me in the closet after Melissa falls asleep. She's a heavy sleeper, so you should be good." She went into her room and left the door a crack open for Joe. She entered her closet and decided to pick out tomorrow's outfit while she waited. She headed over to the shoe section and began looking for a pair she liked.

Joe had been waiting for twenty minutes, and decided to go check if Melissa was asleep yet. He quietly opened and closed the bedroom door and ducked down. He heard even breathing and knew she was asleep. He walked to the closet and quietly closed the door behind him. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Joe tried to decide where to go first. He decided that he would check the shoe section. As he rounded the corner that led to it, a hand covered his eyes, he felt a chin on his shoulder, and an arm was draped over him.

"Surprise," Stella whispered, smiling in the darkness. He wouldn't be able to see the blush that was rising on her cheeks in the dark.

"I love when you blush," Joe whispered quietly. She groaned and heard him chuckle. Joe allowed her to take control for a moment, keeping her hand over his eyes and letting her plant small, quick kisses up his neck until she reached his cheek, where she lingered a bit longer. He knew girls liked to be in control every once in awhile, and Stella was no exception. Finally, the urge to switch control gets to him and he decides to switch positions. He spins around rather quickly and pushes her gently against the carpeted wall. Not wanting to scare her, he slowly moves his hand to the hem of her pajama shirt and slides it under until it is on the small of her back. Before he continues, he whispers in her ear

"Is this going too fast for you?'

"No, I trust you," Stella answered him quietly, allowing him to move closer to her. He knew what she meant by that. She trusted him to stop if she said so and know how far to go and what to do. Stella felt Joe begin to rub circles on her back and his touch against her skin made her tingle. Surprising them both, she began tugging his shirt upward until it was only around his neck. Happy that she wasn't afraid to make a move, Joe took it off the rest of the way and let her lay her head on his chest. Stella felt content as he held her there. She knew he had given her her first kiss that morning, but it had felt rushed instead of how she wanted it to feel. She was hoping he would make up for it and give her a real one now. Stella knew her wish was being granted as she felt him pull away slightly and tilt her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. _'Those gorgeous brown eyes'_ they both thought to themselves as they looked at each other. Stella saw many emotions in Joe's chocolate eyes, including love, compassion, protectiveness, and gentleness. She was getting lost in his eyes. Joe felt himself doing the same in her eyes. He could tell exactly what she wanted by looking into them. Stella noticed that he was leaning closer to her. He stopped when they were touching noses. Joe was waiting for Stella to close the gap. She did and he pulled her as close as he could. Stella was absolutely sure that he made up for that morning. He was rubbing larger, quicker circles on her back and his hand was running gently through her hair. She felt the urge to do something besides kiss back. She moved her hand up and snaked it through his hair and moved the other one to his shoulder, massaging it. They finally broke it and ended up laughing quietly on the floor. When she finally calmed down, Stella crawled back over to Joe and settled down in his arms. Joe began thinking as they sat there. After a while, he heard even breathing and looked down. Stella was asleep. He smiled and carefully picked her up so he wouldn't wake her. It was almost midnight. When he had placed her on her bed and covered her, he went to get ice. He put it on her nightstand and looked around the room thoughtfully for a moment. He was about to leave when he heard a sound.

"Joe?" Stella mumbled from her bed. She had opened her eyes, but she was still half asleep. He quickly moved to her side and put his finger on her lips to shush her so she wouldn't wake Melissa.

"I'm right here Stella," Joe whispered. "What's wrong?"

"They aren't going to hurt me again, are they?" she asked. At first Joe was confused, then he realized she was talking about last night. She was half asleep and probably thought they were going to come to the hotel again.

"No, they aren't coming here. Your in the suite, and Melissa is sleeping next you. Good night. I love you," Joe whispered.

"Okay. I love you too. Good night," Stella leaned up and kissed his cheek. Then she closed her eyes. Joe smiled as he pulled the covers back over her and shut the door. He quietly went into his own room and got into bed. He was thinking about one of his best nights ever as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning was bright and snowy. Joe woke up at 9:00 and saw a note on his nightstand. It said that the others had gone to town for some food shopping and would be back by noon. He wondered if Stella was still in her room and quietly opened her door. He found her sleeping, but she was beginning to stir. He sat down on her bed so she would see him when she woke up. It never occurred to him that she would still be a little too tired to figure out who he was. He saw her mouth open as if to scream and quickly cut her off with a kiss. She settled back down on her pillow when she realized that it was Joe. She was still sleepy and didn't make any move to get up. She looked at Joe and pointed to the rest of the empty bed next to her. He smiled at her and lay down next to her. She curled up in his arms and fell asleep again.

**Stella's Dream**

_Stella sees blue sky all around her and in the distance she sees a glowing figure. She walks towards it and realizes its Joe. The figure begins running toward her and scoops her up in its arms. She smiles as Joe whirls her around._

**End of Dream**

As Stella woke up a second time, she figured out that she had never slept that well before. Seeing Joe's arm around her, she looked up at him and said

"You won't leave me, will you?" She was a little afraid after her last relationship.

"Baby, that's in the past now. You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. Anyway, good morning," Joe said. Stella smiled and answered

"Good morning, honey." She wanted to wear the ring so much, but couldn't until the mystery was solved. She kissed him on the cheek and pointed to the door. Joe reluctantly left and she got changed. As she emerged from her room, the others came back. It was exactly 12:30.

"How was your trip?" Stella asked.

"Good, until Kevin got us lost on the way back," Jody said, laughing and sticking her tongue out at Kevin.

"Well, how about we go skiing? I want to practice something I saw Lindsay Vonn do in the Winter Olympics," Jody said.

"I wanted to go to the skate track. I think you know why, Lis," Stella said, winking at her best friend.

"But, guys-" Jody started.

"Jody, we went up on the mountain the other day. You and Emily wanted to. It's our turn to pick," Melissa said.

"I'm confused. Why do you want to go to the skate track?" Nick asked.

"One word, Nick," Jody said before Melissa and Stella said dreamily

"Apolo."

"Who?" Joe asked and Stella sent him a glare. She and Melissa answered automatically in unison.

"He's an 8-time winter Olympic medalist, world's greatest short track speed-skater, incredibly cute, philanthropist, 'What Star Can Dance?' champion. His birthday is May 22, 1982, he was born in Seattle, he yawns before races because it calms his nerves, and he broke the record for most Olympic medals. His name is Apolo Anton Ohno."

"Duh," Emily said, who was also a huge fan of Apolo.

"Shall we go on?" Stella asked, looking irritated. How dare they not know who Apolo was? Jody knew who he was, but wasn't a fan. She was a fan of Shawn White and Lindsay Vonn. Melissa and Stella liked Julia Mancuso and she was tempted to tell them that they could practice some of her tricks, but knew Apolo was number one.

"What about Julia Mancuso? She is a skier and you guys like her," Emily said it for her.

"Apolo is better and you know that," Melissa argued. While the girls argued over the athletes, Joe pulled Kevin and Nick aside.

"Do you think we could get Apolo and Lindsay here to meet them? I know they are taking a year off before training on the track again. Maybe they could come on tour with us too. We could try to get Julia too, but I think she's still training," he whispered to his brothers.

"I'll make the call after you leave later. This Apolo sounds pretty cool. Maybe I'll do some research on him too," Nick whispered. They heard Jody nearly yell 'Fine!' and whirled around.

"We're going to the skate track. Tomorrow, Melissa and need to get new speed skates, but our old ones will work for now," Stella said excitedly. They all grabbed coats and headed out the door. They decided to borrow a regular car instead of the limo and were at the track in no time. The boys and Jody rented skates while Melissa, Stella, and Emily put theirs on.

"Will one of you say go?" Emily called to them as they were putting on skates. The boys looked up and then looked at Jody with a confused look.

"They're going to race a 500. Ready? Set? Go!" Jody yelled. The boys were watching in awe as they zipped around the track. The lead had o change about five times before Stella cut in front on the last stretch and pulled it out with Melissa and Emily close behind.

"You guys are amazing. Stella, I bet you'd give that Apolo guy a run for his money," Kevin said. Stella's eyes sparkled when she was compared to her idol. She may be the most girly of her friends, but she had amazing talent when it came to short track.

They hung out at the track for awhile. The girls had many races, but Joe, Nick, and Kevin said they'd race the next time they came to the track. Melissa assured them it would be soon. They had quick dinner in town before Joe got ready to head over to Lori's warehouse.

"Be careful, Joe," Nick said as he got into the car.

"Good luck," Emily said as she started the engine.

"Thanks," Joe said and he watched them drive off before going to the warehouse. Two workers showed him the truck when he arrived and he drove off.

Waiting in the bushes were three men dressed in black and wearing ski masks. When Joe turned onto the forest road, one of them whispered

"Now." Joe was concentrating on the road, so he didn't hear one of the men board the truck. All of a sudden, he was grabbed from behind. He opened his mouth but was silenced when a sock was stuffed in his mouth.

"Drive the truck into that clump of trees and turn off the engine. Leave the keys in the ignition," the man commanded. Joe slowly turned the truck off the road and parked it. He didn't want to risk getting hurt yet. The man then pushed him out of the truck into the arms of his waiting partners.

"You guys go drop him off. I'll wait here," the man in the truck said. The two men holding Joe dragged him up to one of the abandoned old houses. There, he was handed off to two other men and a woman.

"This was a plan to capture us. Give it to him good," one of the men told the woman as they began walking back to the truck.

In the lodge, the others were waiting for Joe. Stella was frantic. Melissa was trying to calm her down. She had pulled up Apolo's Twitter account on her laptop and was showing Stella some of the pictures he had posted. It was sort of working. Stella was loving the pictures Apolo had posted, but was worried about Joe. They were all waiting in the lobby to begin phase two of their plan. Nick was also frantic that his older brother hadn't showed up yet. Everyone knew he loved both his brothers, but was closer to Joe than Kevin.

"I told him to be careful. Where is he?" Nick said.

"Oh, I just know something terrible had happened to him. Let's go find him," Stella said. She looked away from the laptop and stood up and began walking towards the door.

"Stella, wait. We were expecting him at nine 'o' clock and it's only 9:30. Let's at least wait until midnight. That we, if he was captured, we have the darkness to hide us," Melissa told her gently as she searched something on her laptop. "Hey, look what this says Apolo!" she said excitedly to cheer Stella up.

"Okay," Stella said quietly. "Let me see!"

In the abandoned house, Joe's arms were twisted painfully behind him by one of the men. The sock that had been shoved in his mouth was making his throat dry and he was glaring angrily at the man and woman, who were whispering to each other.

"It's Joe Jonas. I wouldn't mind being foiled by a Jonas. Can't we just tease him a little and chloroform if he cooperates?" the woman was saying.

"Fine, but I'm putting a sweaty sock in his mouth and we at least punch him once," the man agreed.

"Deal," the woman said. The man signaled to his partner, who began pushing Joe roughly across the room and down the stairs to the basement. As he was being pushed, Joe knew he would be at the mercy of these criminals until at least midnight. He and Melissa had made a deal that they wouldn't come looking for him until midnight. He decided to take his mind off things by wondering if Nick had called the Olympians yet.

Back at the lodge, Nick had decided to take this opportunity to make the call to Apolo and Lindsay and maybe even do some research on Apolo. He could tell Joe about it later. He dialed the number he had found earlier and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" a voice came over the line.

"Is this Apolo Ohno?" Nick asked.

"Yes, can I help you?" Apolo asked. He sounded very nice to Nick.

"This is Nick Jonas."

"Nick Jonas?! Wow, you and your brothers have great voices," Apolo said excitedly.

"Thank you. My brothers and I heard you were taking a year off before getting back to training. Is that true?" Nick asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, we have some friends who think you are amazing and we were wondering if you'd like to come on tour with us?" Nick said hopefully.

"No way! Of course, man. Thanks. Where are you guys now?" Apolo sounded really excited now.

"We are in Colorado, staying at the Mountain Lodge. Our friends will super excited to meet you, but it's a surprise. All us when you get here. Do you like mysteries?" Nick said quickly.

"Slow down there, Nick. Yes, I love reading and solving mysteries. If it's a surprise, I will call you when my plane lands. I'll probably be there by the time you guys have your concert. I can't wait," Apolo said.

"Thanks for coming. See you then," Nick said.

"See you," Apolo said and hung up. Nick now dialed Lindsay Vonn's number. Jody would love this. Emily would probably like it too.

"Hello?" a female voice came over the line.

"Miss Lindsay Vonn?" Nick asked.

"Yes, may I help you?" Lindsay said.

"This is Nick Jonas. You are taking the year off before training for the games again, right?" Nick asked.

"Oh my gosh. it is you. Yes I am taking a year off. May I ask why?" Lindsay answered.

"Some of our friends are huge fans of you. We were wondering if you'd like to come on tour with us?"

"Of course. You're in Colorado now, right?" Lindsay asked, becoming excited.

"Yes, the Mountain Lodge. The slopes here are great. It's a surprise for our friends, though, so can you call when you get here?" Nick said.

"Awesome. I can't wait. Sure I'll call. I love surprising fans. Thanks so much. See you soon," Lindsay said, then she hung up. Nick began researching Apolo on the lodge's computer and he found out some interesting facts.

In the basement, Joe was shoved into a chair and tied tightly to it. He was told to spit the sock out and he did so gratefully.

"Okay, Mr. Rock Star, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. What time are your friends coming to look for you?" one of the men said. When Joe refused to answer, the other man punched him squarely in the jaw. "I said, when are your friends coming?" the man growled, looking Joe in the eye. Joe just glared at him. "Okay then," the man said and took his partner aside. "I want you to beat him just enough to knock him out for about three hours. We'll get him ready," he said quietly.

"You got it boss," his partner said and headed upstairs. Joe almost groaned as a sock was again shoved in his mouth. He was blindfolded and his ankles and wrists were tied and duct taped together. He was carried to where the other man was waiting and put in a corner.

"Meet us in the van when you're done," the woman said.

Two hours later, Emily, Stella, Nick, Kevin, and Jody were pacing with worry. Nick had finished his research an hour ago.

"Nick, I think Danger is in danger," Kevin said, worry in his voice.

"Who's Danger?" Melissa asked from the lobby couch.

"It's Joe's nickname," Nick answered her.

"Alright, let's go search those abandoned houses Lori told us about, quick," Jody said.

When they arrived at the first house, Melissa said they should probably check upstairs first. When they opened the bathroom door, they gasped at what they saw. Joe was lying motionless on the floor.

"We can't untie him here. Let's carry him back to the lodge," Emily said. Stella's breath had caught in her throat when she saw Joe and she was now gasping for breath. Melissa was at her side quickly and helped her walk to the hotel while the others carried Joe.

Back in the suite, they laid him on the bed. Kevin and Nick cut the duct tape off while the girls untied him. They let out a sharp breath in surprise at what they saw. He was beaten and battered. His face was bruised the worst, but the rest of him only had faint bruises. He was also unconscious.

"You guys go to be. I and Kevin will wake you when he wakes up." Stella knew her voice was shaky even though she tried to hide it. Last night they had been content in her closet and tonight he was unconscious. She collapsed on the bed when the others left and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Then she heard a noise and looked up. Kevin was attempting to juggle and she giggled.

About half an hour later, Joe opened his eyes and smiled weakly at Kevin and Stella.

"Kevin, will you wake up the others in five minutes?" Stella asked. Kevin nodded and left the room. "Joe, are you okay?" she asked, hugging him gently.

"I'm fine, Stella and that's not a hug," he pulled her closer and inhaled the strawberry scent of her hair.

"What happened?" Stella asked after she had kissed his cheek and stood up. Before Joe answered, the others opened the door and sat down, waiting for him to explain.

"I was about five minutes from the lodge. I guess one of the men boarded the truck because I was grabbed from behind and gagged. I was pushed out of the truck and two men dragged to one of the abandon houses. They took me to the basement and tied me to a chair. One of the men asked me a question, but I didn't answer and was punched. Then I was tied up and taken somewhere upstairs. I guess I was knocked unconscious," Joe explained.

"Why didn't you answer the question?" Kevin asked.

"If I answered, you guys would have been in danger," Joe said.

"My hero," Stella said quietly.

"Are you hurt?" Nick asked.

"Only my jaw, but I don't know why," Joe answered.

"Joe I think you were chloroformed. That guy didn't have the heart to hurt you," Jody said.

"They know they weakened you, though, and are going to keep after you until they get information," Melissa said.

"I know who did it!" Emily cried. She had been looking at the clues. "It was Lori and her fiancée`. I remember seeing the buckle on a belt he was wearing and he wasn't there on the night of the robbery. The paper has a 'J' on it, which must be his initial. The hair is the color of Lori's. They want to collect the insurance money. I bet one of the men the men that captured Joe was him and they hired the rest."

"Great job Emily. You're right. The clues point to them," Nick complimented her.

"The day after tomorrow, let's search the old mine. I bet that is where the loot is hidden," Jody said.

"Why?" Joe asked.

"Because," Jody answered.

"Okay, but let's get some sleep now," Kevin. Everyone went to their rooms and Joe asked Nick if he had gotten hold of Apolo and Lindsay yet.

"Yes, they are coming. They can't wait and they are coming on tour with us. Wait until I tell you some facts I found out about Apolo," Nick answered.

"Tomorrow, Joe said as he turned the light out and closed his eyes.

**I hope you liked it. I wonder what will happen when Apolo and Lindsay arrive and when Lori's fiancée` finds out that they know he did it. Please tell me in a review what you think of my story and what character you think you identify with the most. I Thin I am a cross between Jody and Stella. I love sports like Jody, but I am a little girly and flirty, like Stella. Plus, I love Apolo. Thanks for reading and please Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Nick was the first one awake. As he poured himself a bowl of cereal, he heard his cell phone ringing. The caller was unknown.

"Hello?" Nick asked.

"Nick, its Lindsay. I'm here," Lindsay Vonn said over the phone.

"You're here already!? We weren't expecting you to be here for a few more days, when Apolo is coming," Nick said.

"Apolo Ohno? Oh my gosh, we were the best of friends during the Olympics. In can't wait to see him again. Anyway, I can stay at a hotel here In town undercover for a few days. Tell Apolo to stay here if he gets here before you guys are ready and then you can call us," Lindsay suggested.

"Lindsay, that is great! I'm so sorry for the inconvenience," Nick apologized.

"No problem. I can't wait to meet you and your friends. See you soon, again," Lindsay laughed. She hung up and Nick let out a sigh. Would they ever capture Lori and her fiancée`? He figured they would go skiing today to make Jody happy and then when Apolo and Lindsay came, the girls could go their separate ways. As he sat lost in thought, he heard a voice yelling his name. He looked up and saw Emily.

"Nick, your bowl is overflowing!" she cried. Confused, Nick looked down. He had been pouring milk onto his cereal and didn't realize it was overflowing. He quickly set the carton upright and wiped up the mess. "Who were you on the phone with?" Emily asked him. Nick stopped in his tracks. He couldn't tell Emily that Lindsay was here.

"Um, it was my…grandmother," Nick blurted out. "Yeah, she wanted to ask me how Colorado was and if we were having fun."

"Oh," Emily said. The others had come out by now and Jody was looking smug.

"We're going skiing," she announced. Melissa and Stella looked crestfallen, but had their skis in hand. Everyone was already dressed, so Nick quickly got dressed too. He sat with Joe in the ski lift and told him what had happened.

"Everything's okay now, right?" Joe asked.

"Yeah. Here are some things I learned about Apolo, though. He's pretty cool," Nick went over his list and finished just as they got off the lift. Melissa, Jody, Stella, and Emily agreed to race down the mountain. Nick would go ahead to judge and Joe and Kevin would follow. They had a fun day before heading back to the hotel. They had decided to go to bed early and get rest for the trek up to the mine the next day.

Joe was dreaming when, all of a sudden, a hand was clapped over his mouth and he was dragged out of his bed. He was shoved roughly onto the floor and tied up, then he was dragged down to the lodge basement. He was shoved into a chair and tied tightly to it. He was gagged as well.

"We have ways to get information," the man said as Joe looked at him angrily. "I'll be back in half an hour. I hope you come to your senses by then," the man said as he left the basement. As Joe sat there, he figured it must have been the heiress's fiancée.

Meanwhile, Nick and Kevin had been woken up by the struggle. They found that Joe was no where to be seen and began searching the lodge.

Later, when the man came back, Joe saw two huge men with him. The man roughly ripped off the gag and asked

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Joe was silent. "Say good-bye to your pretty face then," the man said evilly. The two men advanced toward Joe. He shrank back in the chair, closed his eyes, and thought about how Stella would be safe. The men were about to attack, when a voice yelled

"Stop!" It was Kevin. Nick was with him.

"Joe, man, just tell them. It's not worth getting hurt," Nick pleaded. He didn't want to see his older brother get hurt. The man yelled

"Get them!" In a matter of seconds, Nick and Kevin were pinned against the wall.

"Smooth move guys. This is exactly what happens when you try to get dates," Joe joked, trying to make his brothers laugh.

"Silence!" the man yelled as he signaled to his partners. Joe quickly shut his mouth. Kevin was bound to a chair and gagged. Nick was bound and gagged and taken to a small closet in the cellar. "If you ever want to see your brother again, tell me what I want to know," the man growled.

"Bring Nick back out here and I'll tell you," Joe bargained. He winced as Nick was thrown to the ground in front of him.

"Alright, talk!" the man barked.

"We're all going to the old mine," Joe said.

"Now was that so hard?" the man asked in a sugar-coated voice. Then he said in his regular voice "I'm done with him." Joe was gagged again and the men walked out of the basement and the boys were left in darkness.

**I'm going to say right now that I will not post the final chapter or sequel without some reviews. How hard is it to type a review? This story has ZERO! Come on people! I don't mean to sound rude, but really! No reviews?! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

That morning, Emily went to wake up the boys and found that they weren't there.

"Guys," she said worriedly as she entered the kitchen. "They are missing." At that moment, Nick's phone rang. It was another unknown number. Jody answered it.

"Hello?"

"Is Nick there?" a voice said. It was Apolo, but she didn't know that.

"No, this is Jody. Can I help you?" Jody was confused. She didn't recognize the voice.

"Sorry, this must be a wrong number as you Americans say. Good-bye," Apolo used an accent and quickly hung up.

"Who was it?" Melissa asked.

"I think it was a wrong number," Jody answered. "Anyway, let's check the basement first. That would be the best hiding spot."

In the elevator, Stella was trying to pace with worry, but Melissa was restraining her.

"Stella, calm down. They'll be fine," Emily said. Stella just nodded. When the doors opened she raced to the stairs and the others had to hurry to keep up. Jody turned on the light and they saw Kevin and Joe tied to chairs and Nick tied up on the floor. They began untying them and Joe explained what happened.

"You are so brave," Stella whispered as she cut the rope around Joe's wrists with her nail file. Nick gasped and asked

"Stella, how did you do that?"

"Nail file," Stella said, smiling.

"Are you okay?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Kevin said, answering for all three of them.

"We should get ready to go up to the mine now. It's past noon," Nick said.

"Okay," Kevin and Melissa said together.

"Make sure everyone dresses warm," Joe reminded them.

Emily and Joe were the first ones ready and while they were waiting, Emily said

"Joe, if anything else happens to you, I'll never forgive myself."

"Em, it wouldn't be your fault. Besides, I'm sure nothing will happen," At that moment, Nick cell phone rang again. It was the same unknown number as before. Joe answered it.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hi, is this Nick," Apolo said.

"No, this is Joe," Joe said.

"Oh, hi. This is Apolo Ohno," Apolo said.

"Hi," Joe said. At that moment, Nick walked into the room and Joe mouthed 'Apolo' to him, hoping Emily wouldn't see. Thankfully she didn't as Nick took the phone from Joe and went back into his room.

"Who was that?" Emily asked.

"Oh, just a friend of Nick's," Joe answered with a nervous smile.

"Hi Apolo," Nick said.

"Hey Nick. I'm here," Apolo said.

"Really? Okay, well we aren't ready for you yet. Go to the Glitz Hotel in town and ask for Lindsay in Room 222. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we'll call you when we're ready," Nick explained.

"No problem, man. I'll do that. See you soon," Apolo said before hanging up. Nick went back out to Emily and Joe.

"How's you r friend, Nick?" Emily asked. Nick looked blank for a moment before he caught on.

"Great, Emily. He's great," Nick said, letting out a sigh of relief as the others joined them.

"I told Jason where we're going," Kevin said.

"Good idea," Stella said as they headed out the door and began the long trek to the mine.

"There it is up ahead!" Jody said after twenty minutes of hiking. When they arrived at the entrance, Melissa said

"Wow! The old lanterns still work. That's amazing."

"Come on, let's start searching," Emily said. They began searching the first section of the mine. As they were about to move to the next section, a voice said

"Well, well, well. The gang is all here." They turned around and Jody said

"You're Lori's fiancée`!"

"That's right, I'm Jesse Jackson and none of you are escaping. I have my ways to keep you here, so don't try anything," Jesse said. He began tying them up and gagging them one by one. Little did he know that Stella had found the necklace and earrings and slipped them into her jacket pocket. As Jesse surveyed his work, they realized that he was going to leave them there to freeze so they couldn't tell the police anything. "You're coming with me," Jesse said as he pulled Joe roughly to his feet. "Ta-ta!" he called as he dragged Joe out of the mine. A little ways and a lot of snow later, Joe saw a black van. The back of it opened and he saw Lori. Jesse threw him into the van and climbed in behind him. He missed Stella already. He wished he was at the mine to protect her. The van began to move

"Jess, why is his… Oh my gosh! It's Joe Jonas! Okay Lori, deep breaths. Alright, why is his jaw swollen, Jesse?" Lori asked.

"Well, during the hijacking, he didn't cooperate so… the others I left to freeze in the mine," Jesse answered.

"What!? You promised no one would get hurt! You're…You're crazy! I'm going to the police! Stop the van!" Lori yelled.

"I don't think so. This is my gang. I call the shots," Jesse growled as he moved menacingly towards Lori. She backed into the wall of the van and fell. Jesse took the opportunity and pounced on her. He wrestled with her for a moment before quickly overpowering her. She ended up face down on the floor and he was sitting on her back. One of his partners handed him rope and a gag and quickly tied her up tightly. She opened her mouth to yell again, but he stuffed the gag in before she could. "When we get to the lodge, pull up to the steps leading to Lori's suite," Jesse said as he stood up. He kept one foot on Lori so she couldn't move. He kept his eye on Joe the whole time.


	8. Chapter 8

In the mine, the others were sitting on the floor, helpless and freezing. Stella was ready to cry her eyes out about Joe. Melissa, Jody, and Emily were frustrated, as they always were when they got captured. They were trying to figure a way out of this. None of them could move from coldness and they were also tied pretty tight. Nick was thinking about random things, the most dominate thought being when his girlfriend, Emily Osment, and Demi Lovato were going to arrive for their concert. Kevin was worrying about Joe.

Back at the lodge, Jason was getting really worried. It had been over an hour and Kevin had promised he'd call in an hour. He decided to try and find the mine himself.

When he arrived at the top of the mountain, he saw the mine in sight and walked as quickly as he could through the deep snow towards it. He turned on his flashlight and swept over the mine opening. It picked up six figures on the floor and he realized they were his friends, minus Joe. He quickly untied. Stella and Melissa were the coldest and they formed a huddle around the girls as Nick said

"Thanks man."

"We have to f-find Joe. I h-have a bad feeling that he and L-Lori are in danger," Jody's teeth were chattering.

"J-Jason, call the p-police and tell them to meet us in the s-suite. I have a p-plan," Emily as said as they headed back down the mountain.

"Did you say the Jesse Jackson gang!?" the chief of police asked twenty minutes later. They were seated around the fire drinking hot cocoa, attempting to get warm. "We've been trying to round them up for years. He is manically dangerous."

"Then we need to rescue Joe!" Joe Melissa stood up.

"Let's go, now!" Stella raced toward the door. She couldn't wait to be in his arms again.

**I am sorry. I know it's short. The next chapter is longer. Please review and it would mean the world to me if I was added to fave author and author alert lists! Thanks.**


	9. Chapter 9

As the lodge came into view, Jesse untied Lori's and Joe's legs, ordering is men to grab them. When the van stopped, the two of them were hustled out of it and up the steps into Lori's large suite. There, their ankles were again bound together and their gags were removed. Lori was forced against a wall.

"Comfy?" Jesse asked her sarcastically as he grabbed Joe and dragged him into Lori's room, locking the door behind them. Jesse pushed Joe to the floor and sat on him as he began to talk. "Did you tell anyone you were going to the mine?"

"You'll learn nothing from me," Joe said angrily as he glared at his captor. Jesse stood quickly and grabbed Joe roughly by the collar of his shirt.

"Look, you've got no one to protect. If you cooperate, you won't get hurt," Jesse growled angrily.

"We told Jason." Joe answered through gritted teeth.

"Excellent," Jesse replaced Joe's gag and locked him in Lori's closet.

"Okay, Lori, let's walk," Jesse called as he walked out of the suite and down the hallway. When he stopped on the balcony over the lobby, he looked at Lori. She could see the first landing far below. "This is what happens when you mess with me, Lori," Jesse said as his goons held Lori in midair over the railing. "Drop her," Jesse said as he waved his hand. Lori screamed as she fell and Jesse waited until he heard the thud before heading back to the suite. He opened the door and saw none other than Stella standing there. "Well, another prisoner," Jesse said as he grinned at Stella.

"I don't think so," Stella said to him. She waved her hand, and the police, Emily, Jody, Melissa, Nick, and Kevin jumped out.

"Where's Joe?" Emily asked.

"Oh, you want to Joe?" Jesse said. No one noticed that he was edging towards Lori's room until he disappeared inside and said "Come in here, then." They cautiously walked toward Lori's room, with the police bringing up the rear. They gasped when they saw Joe leaning against the wall, unconscious, and Jesse holding a gun. "Here he is, and you'll probably find Lori on the first landing of the stairs."

"We found her with only a few bruises and a broken arm," one of the policemen said. Jesse's attitude faltered for a moment as fear crossed his face. Jody saw her chance. She kicked out and the gun fell out of Jesse's hand. The police closed in on him and hustled him out of the room.

"Joe!" Stella cried as he fell to the floor. She quickly untied him and the others helped take him back to the room.


	10. Chapter 10

An hour later, Joe was still unconscious. Stella was stroking his hair. A moment later, his eyes flickered open and Stella threw her arms around him.

"You're my hero," she whispered in his ear.

"Stel, I think we should tell them," Joe said as he pulled Stella closer to him.

"Tell us what?" Melissa asked. She was in the doorway with the others.

"That we're getting married," Stella said.

"Stella that's great! Congratulations!" Jody said and the others chorused in.

"Nick!" called a soft voice.

"Selena!" Nick said, hugging her.

"Yes," Selena Gomez said, causing Nick to stare at her with a confused expression. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend," Selena laughed.

"That's great!" Nick blushed. "I think you guys know Selena. She's opening for us on the tour."

"Stella and Joe are getting married," Kevin told her.

"What! That's great! Congratulations, you guys!" Selena said as she hugged Stella. Stella had a feeling she was going to like Selena. "I hope we have time to get in some speed-skating before we leave," Selena said as Melissa's jaw dropped. "I just love Apolo Ohno!"

"No way!" Melissa and Stella cried. "Us too!" The three of them walked away from the group, chattering excitedly. Nick took the opportunity to call Apolo and Lindsay. They would arrive in ten minutes. Emily answered the phone when it rang and reported back to the others.

"One of Jesse's goons got loose and is out for revenge. There will be plainclothes detectives backstage. They said not to worry," she explained. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Kevin opened it. Joe and Nick had positioned themselves behind Selena and Stella. It was a good thing, too, because they fainted when they saw Apolo. They quickly woke up and everyone started chattering. Soon, they felt like old friends.

"Joe, did you do this?" Stella asked. Joe was turning red and quickly hanged the subject.

"We should get to the arena and get ready," he said.

When they were ready, they all gathered back stage since there was still half an hour left before concert time.

"Where's Stella?" Lindsay and Selena asked at the same time as they watched two policemen lead Jesse's goon out of the building.

"Oh no. Now we have to search," Emily sighed. All this searching was becoming exasperating.

"Wait, I saw an old dressing room when I was exploring. Maybe she is in there," Melissa said.

"Let's go!" Kevin said, leading the way.

When they opened the door to the dressing, everyone's jaws dropped. Stella's wrists and ankles were duct taped to the floor, there was a strip of tape over her mouth, and she was unconscious. Lying on the floor next to her was a crow bar.

"Oh, Stella," Joe said as he cut the tape off of her with his pocketknife.

"There's a lump on her head. We shouldn't move her until she wakes up," Jody said after observing Stella's condition.

"Well, I'm not going on stage until she does," Selena and Joe said in unison. They smiled despite the situation. Joe gently lifted Stella's head into his lap and ran his hand through her hair. Selena began chafing her wrists. Nick guessed she had been unconscious for about an hour. About five minutes later, Stella woke up. She leaned on Joe for support and explained.

"I was exploring when I opened this door. I heard a noise, but before I could turn around, a hand was clapped over my mouth, I was pushed into the room, and the door closed. I was duct taped to the floor and gagged. This guy went on and on for about half an hour. All of a sudden, he raised a crow bar and everything went black."

"Now you're my hero," Joe whispered as he tenderly touched her cheek.

"Guys, Selena has two minutes to get onstage," Kevin said after consulting his watch. They all rushed back stage. Selena sang her heart out. She sang 'Naturally,' 'More,' 'Magic,' and 'Falling Down.' Kevin Joe and Nick performed all their hits. Their next concert just happened to be in Hawaii. While the girls, the brothers, and the Olympians waited for the limo, they were al wondering when another mystery would come along. As they were getting into the limo, they all yelled

"Surf's up, Hawaii!" and were on their way.

**The End**


	11. Chapter 11

I am working on a sequel called "Horror In Hawaii". It is about a kidnapping of one of our favorite charcaters. I will probably do one story mostly about each main character. The last one was about Joe. Then I will probably continue with an equal amount from all of the characters. This series will continue when I get chance to publish it. Please read and review my new story when I publish it and thanks for reading.

P.S. Thank you so much again to my loyal readers and I hope you review my future stories. Thanks.

bballgirl22


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